Queer Art: Past and Present: Queer Feminist Transnational Artistic/Curatorial Practices
As part of the Found in Translation series funded by the PA Humanities and National Endowment for the Humanities, Fleisher Art Memorial and William Way are proud to present Queer Art: Past and Present, a series of lectures exploring Queer art histories and contemporary practices and aesthetics through the voices of five renowned art historians and artists. The lecture series will take place on Zoom and live Spanish interpretation will be provided.
Found in Translation is a free series of art history and critical theory workshops organized by Fleisher in partnership with several cultural institutions throughout Philadelphia. The series specifically focuses on centering BIPOC and Queer voices, reflecting a more inclusive view of the communities we work with. Found in Translation, aligned with Fleisher’s mission of making art more accessible through our education and community programs, brings these valuable perspectives to a broader public.
Alpesh Kantilal Patel will explore the traveling exhibition WOMEN 我們,, featured in Shanghai (2011), San Francisco (2012), and Miami Beach (2013). In addition, Alpesh will discuss connections between artworks exploring queer absences in archives by US-based lesbian-identified artist Tina Takemoto and Estonia-based Jannus Samma.
Alpesh Kantilal Patel is an associate professor of contemporary art and visual culture at Tyler School of Art and Architecture, Temple University. His art historical scholarship, curating, and criticism reflect his queer, anti-racist, and transnational approach to contemporary art. He is the author of Productive failure: Writing queer transnational South Asian art histories (2017) and co-editor of both Storytellers of Art Histories (2022) and Nka: Journal of Contemporary African Art’s special issue commemorating Okwui Enwezor (2021). His research has been supported by grants and fellowships from the Fulbright Foundation, Arts Council England, National Endowment of Humanities, Cranbrook Academy of Art, New York University, and the Institute of Advanced Studies at Loughborough University, England.
About William Way
William Way seeks to engage and support the diverse LGBTQIA+ communities in the greater Philadelphia area through arts & culture, empowerment, and community connections. They want all LGBTQIA+ people to feel safe, connected, and empowered, striving to be a community center whose staff, management, and board reflect the vibrant and richly diverse communities they serve. In these challenging times, the William Way LGBT Community Center, and what it represents, has evolved to meet the needs of the diverse people it serves 365 days a year. Learn more at www.waygay.org.
Register via Eventbrite.
Image: Ana Teresa Fernandez, Ice Queen, 2011, digital still from 45-minute performance. Image courtesy of Alpesh Kantilal Patel.